Howard University responds to Phylicia Rashad's support of Bill Cosby
Howard University released a statement after Bill Cosby's co-star Phylicia Rashad shared a tweet supporting his overturned conviction
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Howard University released a statement regarding actress Phylicia Rashad’s support of Bill Cosby’s prison release Wednesday on Twitter.
The university emphasized sexual assault survivors are its "first priority."
"Survivors of sexual assault will always be our first priority," the university said in the statement. "While Dean Rashad has acknowledged in her follow-up tweet that victims must be heard and believed, her initial tweet lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Personal positions of University leadership do not reflect Howard University’s policies," the statement continued. "We will continue to advocate for survivors fully and support their right to be heard. Howard will stand with survivors and challenge systems that would deny them justice. We have full confidence that our faculty and school leadership will live up to this sacred commitment."
Howard University announced Rashad was joining the staff as a dean in May.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Phylicia Rashad starred alongside Bill Cosby in "The Cosby Show." The actress has been supportive of Cosby since his accusers have come forward.
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Rashad first shared support for Cosby, who was originally sentenced to prison for three to ten years after being convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, on her personal Twitter account before acknowledging the alleged victims.
"FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!" Rashad first tweeted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WHAT'S NEXT FOR BILL COSBY AFTER SEX ASSAULT CONVICTION OVERTURNED
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"I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward," she later added. "My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth. Personally, I know from friends and family that such abuse has lifelong residual effects. My heartfelt wish is for healing."
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Cosby was released from prison after a Pennsylvania court overturned his sexual assault conviction on Wednesday. The court claimed it had found the prosecutor on the case had violated an agreement made with a different prosecutor that prevented Cosby from being charged.